<div class="gmail_quote">I thought you might like to see progress on the issue of prison phone rates that we tackled on the local level years ago (much thanks to Sandra Ahten as lead) and has become a national media justice issue. - Danielle</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br></div><div class="gmail_quote"><br><div style="word-wrap:break-word">Sample Tweet:<div>@guatemalia's latest on #phonejustice. Victory! NARUC Calls on FCC & States to Take Action on the Cost of Prison Phone Calls <a href="http://shar.es/GJqkf" target="_blank">shar.es/GJqkf</a> </div>
<div><br></div><div><h2>Victory! NARUC Calls on FCC and States to Take Action on the Cost of Prison Phone Calls</h2>
<div>Yesterday, the Board of Directors of the National Association of
Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) adopted a resolution asking
the FCC to address the high costs of prison phone calls at their annual
meeting in Baltimore. The vote–which formally adopts the
resolution–comes one day after the <a href="http://centerformediajustice.org/2012/11/13/state-regulators-weigh-in-n-the-cost-of-prison-and-detention-phone-calls/" target="_blank">Telcom Committee endorsed the resolution in a vote of 12-2</a>, after hosting a panel on the issue and formally introducing the resolution titled, <em>“Is it Fair for Families to Pay Exorbitant Rates to Call Incarcerated Relatives?”</em></div>
<p>Led by Commissioner Anne Boyle of Nebraska, the resolution calls for the FCC <em>“to take immediate action on the “Wright Petition” by prohibiting unreasonable rates and charges for inmate telephone services” </em>and encourages States to <em>“take action </em><em>within their power to reduce or eliminate excessive inmate telephone service rates.”</em></p>
<p>The adoption of the resolution comes one day before a <a href="http://www.mag-net.org/events/2012/10/23/strong-families-safe-communities-rally-and-press-conference" target="_blank">National Rally for Strong Families and Safe Communities</a> led by the <a href="http://nationinside.org/campaign/prison-phone-justice/" target="_blank">Campaign for Prison Phone Justice</a>
at the FCC. Campaign leaders planned the rally as a way to
demonstrate bi-partisan and multi-sector support for this issue,
highlight the voices of impacted family members, and urge the FCC to
move forward with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.</p><p>Commissioner Jason Marks of New Mexico, one of the panelists and a leader on the issue, had this to say about yesterday’s vote,</p><p><em>”</em><em>For too long, we’ve allowed some of the most
economically vulnerable families in our communities to be put in the
position of choosing between remaining in contact with an incarcerated
relative or paying for food, shelter, and other essentials. Regulating
prison phone services and all the associated surcharges, which are look
like monopolies from the consumers’ perspective, is ‘regulation 101.’
I’m pleased to be part of moving this along, both in New Mexico, and
nationally.”</em><em></em></p><p>As many know, the FCC has struggled with this proceeding for years.
In fact, the Wright Petition has been pending at the FCC since 2003—a
fact that has not gone unnoticed in social justice and media justice
organizing circles as families are forced to choose between a phone
call and basic necessitites and corporations make billions!</p><p>Tags: <a href="http://centerformediajustice.org/tag/amalia-deloney/" rel="tag" target="_blank">amalia deloney</a>, <a href="http://centerformediajustice.org/tag/featured/" rel="tag" target="_blank">Featured</a>, <a href="http://centerformediajustice.org/tag/media-policy/" rel="tag" target="_blank">Media Policy</a>, <a href="http://centerformediajustice.org/tag/prison-phone-justice/" rel="tag" target="_blank">Prison Phone Justice</a></p>
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<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11px"><i><b><font color="#e32400">Please update your address book with my new email address <a href="mailto:amalia@mediajustice.org" target="_blank">amalia@mediajustice.org</a> </font></b></i></span></div>
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amalia deloney | Associate Director | </span><span style="text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;font-variant:normal;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;text-transform:none;font-size:11px;white-space:normal;font-family:Arial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="color:rgb(14,55,165)"><a href="http://centerformediajustice.org/" target="_blank">centerformediajustice.org</a> </span></span><span style="text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;font-variant:normal;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;text-transform:none;font-size:11px;white-space:normal;font-family:Arial;word-spacing:0px">|</span><span style="text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;font-variant:normal;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;text-transform:none;font-size:11px;white-space:normal;font-family:Arial;word-spacing:0px"> </span><span style="text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;font-variant:normal;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;text-transform:none;font-size:11px;white-space:normal;font-family:Arial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="color:rgb(14,55,165)"><a href="mailto:amalia@centerformediajustice.org" target="_blank">amalia@mediajustice.org</a> </span></span><span style="text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;font-variant:normal;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;text-transform:none;font-size:11px;white-space:normal;font-family:Arial;word-spacing:0px">| <a href="tel:510.698.3800%20x%20403" value="+15106983800" target="_blank">510.698.3800 x 403</a></span></div>
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